Hanso's Wreck: an AU Lost fic taking place on the island, except the island is actually a summer camp for gifted children, with a mishmash of characters from different times and places and timelines, including pairings both classic and random. The circumstances are odd but it's not as AU as you might think...hehe!
Short version: I had a weird dream, so I turned it into a fic. I hope you enjoy it!
I've rated it T, just in case. This first chapter is K+, but it might change in the future (ooh, but could it change in the past? haha, a little time travel humor for ya...haha...ha.... :|)
Pairings in this first chapter include: a little bit 'o Jack/Kate, Juliet/Richard vs. Juliet/Sawyer,and Charlie/Claire. More to come, especially if you give me some suggestions. :)
Hanso's Wreck
"Ben!" Jack shouted. "Ben."
Twelve-year-old Ben's head shot up. He'd been staring at his shoes, avoiding eye contact. Avoiding contact of any sort, especially of the social variety. He hated playing kickball, but here came Coach Shephard, running across the field to tell him once again that he had to participate or else.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Ben?" Jack said. His tight voice and uptight body language betrayed his exterior and revealed the barely controlled rage within, no matter how polite he tried to be when he admonished his kids. "You don't have to avoid the ball. It's not going to hurt you if you get hit. See?"
Jack held a big red ball in his hands. He stood in front of Ben, and threw the ball lightly at the center of the boy's chest. It bounced off his body with a cartoonish sound akin to a growing bubble, and Jack caught it on the way back. "See?" Jack said again, desperate to get this kid into the game and out of the deep, dark hole that resembled Ben Linus' existence at summer camp. Ben just stared at him. As fed up as Jack was with Ben's antisocial behavior, Ben was just as sick of being told to be more manly.
"I don't. Like. Sports." Ben said slowly, as if to someone far less intelligent than himself.
This little twerp... Jack thought to himself, about to explode when someone called his name.
"Jack?"
Jack heard Kate's voice from across the field, and turned to see her waving him over. Seeing her did a lot towards calming the storm that kids like Ben Linus never failed to stir in him. He took a deep breath, gave Ben one last stern yet worried glance, and then turned to his MVP.
"Walt - keep the game going for me?" Jack asked, tossing the other young man the ball.
"Sure thing, Dr. Shephard." said Walt, plucking the ball out of the air and jogging over to the pitcher's area. Jack in turn jogged toward Kate, smiling as he approached. She smiled back, and the little storm inside him began to dissipate.
"What's up?" Jack said, taking his place by Kate's side and turning to watch the children on the field with arms crossed. He didn't forget his duty for a second.
"You should take it a little easier on Ben." Kate suggested lightly. Jack turned to look at her, brow furrowed in confusion. She caught his look, and it didn't surprise her at all. "He's a good kid," she went on.
Jack laughed once, scoffing, and turned back to the field. "All he has to do is kick the ball." he said bitterly. "Or go after the ball when it rolls past him."
"And all you have to do is be okay with the fact that he's not going to do either of those things." said Kate. Jack was watching the game as she spoke. The ball rolled past second base, Ben's base, and he lazily went for the ball as the runner rounded first. The runner easily got to third, deciding to play it safe as Ben walked back to his post with the ball. Some of the other kids on his team grumbled, others yelled outright, calling Ben out on his lack of team spirit, but Ben didn't seem to care. He simply rolled the ball back to Walt, and only because he had to.
"We'll get 'em next time, Ben." Walt called out encouragingly.
"See?" said Kate. "Some of 'em are made for kickball. And some of them just...endure it."
Jack felt his lingering anger evaporate in the moment of clarity Kate provided for him. He laughed again, a soft chuckle directed inward, and he turned to see Kate's wise smile. Jack shook his head and sighed.
"I don't know why they have me coaching kids' sports, Kate. I don't even know why they have me teaching biology to these kids. Are they crazy? Can't they see I'm horrible at it?"
"You're not horrible at either of those things, Jack." Kate said patiently. "But we both know why we're here." she added wryly. Because no one else will have us. they thought in unison. There was no need to say it out loud.
Jack smiled, grateful for her understanding. "So," he said lightly, trying to be nonchalant. "Did you need something? Or did you just come to witness the horror?"
Kate stifled a laugh; right after Jack said it, Ben actually threw the ball during an exciting play. It sailed over Walt's head, bounced ten feet away from home plate and affected absolutely nothing except, perhaps, for the already negative feelings all the other children had toward their inept teammate.
"I was just wondering if you were going to the dance tonight." said Kate. "And..." She grimaced, bracing herself for an awkward, adolescent-feeling moment. "...If you had a date?"
Jack turned to Kate again, his smile the biggest it had been since the summer began.
The Alvar Hanso Retreat for Exceptional Children - known affectionately by its veterans as Hanso's wRECk - was celebrating its twentieth year of existence. Owned by Charles Widmore and run by Richard Alpert, its mission was to gather the most gifted children from all over the planet and give them two months of intense education that even their expensive private schools couldn't provide in the best of circumstances. Child geniuses, deprived by inadequate schooling, could thrive on Widmore's private island, receiving lectures and instruction from the brightest minds on the cutting edge of scientific study. Dr. Burke, Dr. Faraday, and Dr. Shephard were just a few of the names that the children became familiar with during their stay. The scientists, their teachers, were brilliant. They had once been gifted children themselves. The only catch was, they'd all been disgraced somehow, back in the 'real world.' Whether deserved or not, they'd been ostracized from their scientific communities, branded or blacklisted by their peers, or for more personal reasons kicked out of the promising lives they used to lead.
Jack Shephard, divorced and childless, had his medical license taken away after being sued by his own father. Juliet Burke, her record clean save for being naive enough to marry Edmund Burke, had been forced out of a promising research career by her ex-husband and his many shady connections in the business. Daniel Faraday, arguably the most brilliant of them all, had exiled himself after accidentally causing the death of his girlfriend. There were others, each story unique and some more tragic than others, but they all had loss or disgrace in common. Some even had both. So how did they receive such prominent positions at such a prestigious educational retreat? To find the answer to that question, one needn't look any further than the camp's co-director, Horace Goodspeed. He was officially considered director of human resources at the retreat, and unofficially seen as the great giver of much-needed second chances. Like Widmore and Alpert, Horace recognized the immense talent of these individuals, and that their vast banks of knowledge should not be wasted just because of some unfortunate personal issues.
You didn't need to be a scientific genius to get a second chance, however. There were other sorts of genius needed to keep the camp well-rounded. Charlie Pace, recovering drug addict and recovering one-hit wonder, taught music. John Locke, former paraplegic with one kidney and no family, taught meditation and tracking skills, and even hunting for those children brave enough to kill the wild animals that inhabited their summer home away from home.
Then there were those who might not be classified as genius, but still played a very important role in the camp's operation. Claire Littleton and Kate Austen were two counselors favored most by the children for their calm, gentle disposition and friendly smiles. Hugo "Hurley" Reyes and James "Sawyer" Ford were also loved by the children, and not just because they served them franks and beans in the mess hall. Their genius was found in how they were able to connect with the kids, drawing out the humor of even the most socially inept.
While the rest of the world had given up on them or shunned them, the island welcomed them, giving them a chance to shine and keep changing lives in their own special way. That went for the administrators, counselors and the visitors. Child geniuses did not lead easy lives. The world did not often live up to their standards, and so they did not often live up the standards of 'normal' people. The goal of the Alvar Hanso Retreat was to nurture their intellect while also nurturing their personalities, so that maybe little twerps like Benjamin Linus could grow up to be well-adjusted, contributing members of society. So they wouldn't end up exiled on an island like this.
The age range of the retreat accomodated baby geniuses, too. Their parents stayed at the camp with them, so kids like Ji Yeon Kwon and Aaron, whose mother was staying there already for work, could start their accelerated education earlier, while mom and dad took an exotic island vacation. The now defunct Dharma Initiative's barracks had been taken over and converted just for this purpose. The older kids stayed in relatively new cabins closer to the water, using the various Dharma facilities for learning opportunities, and also for games. The Swan station's living quarters were a great place to play Bomb Shelter.
"Good morning."
Juliet looked up from her papers at the sound of Richard's greeting. "Good morning." she replied, gracing him with a warm smile. He'd come to visit her in the old Dharma school room, where she was preparing her first lecture of the summer. She'd delayed her arrival, showing up a month later than everyone else, telling Richard she had a family crisis to deal with. She'd debated coming at all, but after a few weeks, Rachel insisted she go, and not only because the summer work funded the other ten months of private research Juliet attempted back in Miami. Juliet enjoyed being part of an elite team of fellow outcasts - at least they were on even ground - and she enjoyed helping people, especially young people, realize their full potential.
"Sorry to interrupt, if you're busy -" Richard began.
"No, not at all." Juliet said quickly.
"We just wanted to express our gratitude." he went on, referring to both himself and Widmore at once. "We are very happy you decided to return to the REC. We know it must have been difficult, dealing with your sister's...situation."
Juliet smiled politely and nodded, acknowledging the statement but discouraging by way of silence any further discussion of the matter.
"Anyway," said Richard, taking the hint and dismissing the previous subject. "On a more personal note..." He hesitated, pocketing his hands and focusing his deep, penetrating gaze on her eyes. He wasn't nervous around her, but he was cautious. "I'm glad you're here." he said after the pause. "It's good to see you again." It sounded so much more sincere when he only referred to himself; the difference between business and pleasure.
"Thank you, Richard." said Juliet, the warmth returning to her voice as well as her eyes. "That means a lot. It's good to see you too."
It looked as if Richard wanted to say more, but before he got the chance, Juliet caught sight of another man leaning in the doorway. She was looking over Richard's shoulder at the all too familiar figure, and Richard turned to see who it was.
"Doctor Burke." Sawyer said slowly, a shit-eating grin from dimple to dimple. "I thought I saw you steppin' off the ferry."
"Hello, James." she said with a friendly smirk. She noticed Richard's subtle retreat as Sawyer sauntered in, as if Sawyer's shameless flirting repelled him. Richard didn't leave, but their moment had been interrupted, and he wasn't the type to fight for attention unless he really needed it. He merely took a slow quarter turn and a step toward the opposite wall, allowing Sawyer his own moment.
"Got here just in time for the dance." Sawyer reminded Juliet. "You gonna be there?"
"You know it." Juliet said with confidence.
"Good, 'cause you know the spiked punch is always gone in the first hour. You didn't hear that, Mr. Alpert." Sawyer joked, pointing at the man that was technically his boss.
"Hear what?" Richard dead-panned, smiling shortly afterward to let him know everything was cool. Juliet found his poise in these situations to be downright deadly, she was so attracted to him. Sawyer had a crass charm to him, but she'd had enough of crass. What she wanted, what she knew she needed, was a quiet gentleman that looked at her the way Richard did; not just at her, but into her.
"Attaboy." said Sawyer to Richard. "Just for that, I'm savin' you a cup." He turned back to Juliet, the true object of his desire. "Well, I can see you're busy with your papers, and the mess hall needs cleaning after breakfast. I'll leave you to it."
"See you later, James." said Juliet.
"I better." said James, winking at Juliet before turning to Richard and giving him an informal salute goodbye. Richard and Juliet watched him saunter back out.
"We'll catch up later?" Richard half asked, half suggested as he made his own graceful exit. Juliet opened her mouth to call his name, to continue their conversation, to say something, but she couldn't think of anything appropriate or clever so she remained silent, too caught up in the desire for his courtship to actually encourage it. Before she could even answer his question, he was already gone.
"Later." Juliet, alone again, said under her breath.
That afternoon, Sawyer and Hurley were just beginning preparations for dinner, when everyone would gather in the mess hall to pig out and share stories of the days events. The cooks were joined by Charlie, not that he lifted any of his precious guitar-playing fingers to help them. Instead, he chose to rest his elbows on the serving counter and bob his head to the reggae coming from the tiny boombox on the counter.
"Heads up!" Sawyer shouted from the mess hall pantry. Hurley waited outside in the kitchen area, behind the counter that Charlie leaned on, and caught the ten pound bag of rice that Sawyer tossed his way. Hurley used the momentum of the bag to take a soulful spin, and then slowly danced his way over to the stoves. Sawyer walked out of the pantry with his hands full of canned vegetables, chuckling when he saw his large, jumpsuited friend bouncing and bobbing to the music. Sawyer glanced at Charlie, and Charlie grinned back at him, knowing exactly what conversation was about to take place. Hurley set the rice down, and spun back around to help Sawyer get the rest of the supplies. He was still bouncing and bopping to the music, taking his time.
"You know, dinner would take half as long to make if we listened to faster music, Hugo."
"Faster music?" Charlie scoffed. "We all know these mellow Caribbean beats are the only thing that keeps you from strangling all the children on the island, Sawyer."
"Strangling- ?" said Sawyer incredulously. "I tell one kid he can't have any more potatoes, and suddenly I'm Freddy Krueger?"
"Dude," said Hurley, raising his voice so they could hear him as he returned to the pantry. "It's not what you say. It's how you say it!"
"There was murder in your eyes." Charlie added, nodding dramatically.
"That's ridiculous," said a voice from outside. Sawyer looked up, and Charlie straightened and turned when he heard Claire's distinct accent. "We all know Sawyer wouldn't hurt a fly." she said from the doorway, smiling. If there'd been some way to broadcast the thoughts of the men in the room upon her arrival, there would have been an audible sigh of happiness, the reaction of lesser beings to an angel entering the room. She had that effect on people.
"Hey!" said Charlie, sporting a goofy grin as she joined him at the counter.
"Hey there, Goldilocks." said Sawyer, smiling as he passed an ice cream sandwich over the counter. Claire's smile widened as she took it from him. He always reached into the freezer when he saw her, without needing to be asked.
"Wha-...? You didn't give me an ice cream sandwich." Charlie said, as if it wounded him deeply.
"I told ya, Chucky. Pretty blondes get all the free ice cream they want. Pretty blondes with facial hair have to wash the dishes first."
Charlie smiled impishly, and then leaned conspiratorially toward Claire. "He thinks I'm pretty." he whispered. Then, in a normal voice, "So, what's for supper tonight, boys?"
"Rice?" said Sawyer, as he poured the bag into a large pot. "Vegetables? Somethin' Spanish? Whatever Alpert told us to make, I got no idea."
"Gee, I hope Hurley's read the recipe." said Charlie. "I shudder to think what the food would look like if it were only you behind the counter."
"God dammit, Hugo!" Sawyer shouted, his temper flaring suddenly. "How many times have I told you to make sure the rice is sealed in those metal boxes? There's bugs all up in it now, that's a whole crate wasted!"
"Dude, don't yell at me about it!" said Hurley, walking back out to defend himself. "You were the last one to box it up, remember? Last week? We were making stir fries and stuff?"
"Aghh..." Sawyer growled harshly, unable to deny Hurley's statement but still frustrated with himself. He dropped the bag of rice into the pot and carried the pot over to the garbage can, dumping the whole mess out at once. Then he tied up the garbage bag, which was only half full, so the offending insects wouldn't get out and infest any other stores of food. Of course, having to take out the garbage only made Sawyer more pissed off.
"Someone needs to get laid..." Charlie said under his breath, giving the ol' eyebrow raise of worry to no one in particular, as Sawyer stomped toward the back door, sealed garbage bag in one hand. Claire giggled, glad she'd decided to stop by. The group of children she was in charge with were in their anthropology class, and these boys were her afternoon entertainment. While she was busy licking the sides of her melting sandwich, an action which Charlie was trying very hard not to stare at, Hurley made wild motions with his hands to get Charlie's attention.
What? Charlie mouthed. Hurley narrowed his eyes and gestured with his head toward Claire. Ah. With angry Sawyer out of the room, it was the perfect opportunity...
"So, uh, Claire." Charlie started politely. "You'll be at the dance tonight, I presume?"
"Of course." said Claire. "Everybody's going."
"Right right." said Charlie. He nodded slowly, giving himself time to think so it wouldn't come out wrong. "Well, in that case, would you, by any chance, be interested in going...with me?"
"You mean, like...as your date?" Claire asked, taking another small bite of the chocolate bit of the sandwich.
"Oh, well -" Charlie stammered, until he glanced at Hurley. Hurley nodded confidently, signaling to Charlie that it was okay to say yes. "Yes. Yes, as my date." said Charlie, his tune suddenly changing.
"Sure." Claire said easily, smiling his way. "As long as you don't mind having Aaron around. Couldn't find a babysitter." she joked.
"I will strap him to my back like a papoose." Charlie valiantly offered. It made Claire laugh, since Aaron had just turned three and was far too large to be carried like an infant.
"He's getting a little big for that, don't you think?"
"Alright, he might struggle a bit. But at least we wouldn't lose him during the Macarena."
Claire laughed again, covering her mouth so she wouldn't lose the last bite of her sandwich. Once she was done swallowing, she took her hand away and Charlie saw a tiny bit of chocolate stuck to the corner of her mouth.
"You've got a little...there..." he said, pointing.
"Oh!" Claire said, and she laughed again, embarrassed, as she wiped it away. "Thanks, Charlie."
Charlie loved the way his name sounded when she said it. He found her to be quite adorable, covered in chocolate or not. Before he could rest his chin in his hand and reflect on these things, another familiar face appeared in the doorway.
"Claire." said Kate, her expression very serious. "Charlie fell down-"
"No I didn't." Charlie quipped.
"Charlie Hume." said Kate, smiling as she corrected herself.
"Oh no, not little Charlie!" said Hurley. "Is he gonna be okay?"
"He'll be fine, it's just a scrape." Kate assured them. "But he needs to go to the infirmary. Can you watch my group for a minute while I take him?" she asked Claire.
"Of course." said Claire.
"I'll pick you up, then?" Charlie said quickly before she left.
"Yeah." said Claire, her cheeks rounding as she smiled at him again. "We can walk my group to the main hall together."
"Perfect." said Charlie. He watched her go. She tossed the wrapper for her ice cream sandwich in the garbage can as she left, waving at Charlie and Hurley as she passed through the door and left with Kate.
Let me know what you think so far!
I know this first chapter's a bit on the sappy side, but it will probably end up having a supernatural/horror vibe to it at some point. This island's pretty crazy, ya never know who (or what) might show up...